Cheryl Fernandez Versini and Simon Cowell worked at friendship

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini has revealed it took "a lot of work" to repair her relationship with Simon Cowell after he axed her from the US version of 'The X Factor' in 2011

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini admits it took "a lot of work" to repair her relationship with Simon Cowell.

The 'Crazy Stupid Love' singer fell out with the 55-year-old music mogul when he unceremoniously sacked her from the US 'X Factor' in 2011 and she's confessed it wasn't easy for her to get over his betrayal.

She explained: "I never thought his decision was wrong; I just thought how he handled it was wrong. There's ways to do it, you know what I mean? You've got to face up to these things. We didn't speak for months and a lot of work had to be done - but I think it stems from Simon being a really soft-hearted person deep down. As ballsy as his decisions are, he finds it hard to say it to your face sometimes. But he knows he was in the wrong now."

The 32-year-old star - who was also dealing with the end of her marriage to soccer star Ashley Cole at the time and later suffered a bout of life-threatening malaria - claims she wouldn't change any of her experiences as they've made her a stronger person.

She told InStyle magazine: "I've become stronger for sure. I think that when you've had a lot of slaps in the face, you get tougher. It makes you think, 'Bring it on. What more can you do that I'm not prepared for?' "